New Initiative to Increase Minority Dental Students Announced

The Georgia Health Sciences University College if Dental Medicine is one of 11 dental schools chosen to participate in a yearlong minority student recruitment and retention campaign.

The American Dental Education Association (ADEA), The Voice of Dental Education, in partnership with the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, has introduced a training program dedicated to increasing low-income and underrepresented minority students at dental schools.

Supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the ADEA/ Pacific Dugoni Dental Pipeline NLI aims to create a diverse workforce of dentists who understand the oral healthcare needs of patients from underserved populations.

“Our goal for the National Learning Institute is to create an environment that embraces differences, so that future dentists can learn effectively,” says Kim D’Abreu, ADEA Senior Vice President for Access, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Each participating institution will receive $12,000, and a three-day training course about Dental Pipeline best practices, advocacy, and leadership. Additional support and resources include peer mentor match-ups, access to various online courses, and fundraising and development tutorials.